Mountain of 6018 meters of altitude climbed for the first time only in 2006. That is, in modern mountaineering since the Incas already climbed it more than 500 years ago.

It was supposed to be another mountain. Since 2017 we had summited 16 different mountains over 6000 meters. Will it be another one where stone and ice dominate?

We were very surprised by the wild beauty of Laguna Blanca where you can see Flamingos, Vicuñas and wild ducks up close. After all, it is inside the Laguna Blanca Biosphere Reserve.With the indigenous village of Laguna Blanca where three different peoples live. Beautiful village very well organized, hospitable, clean and structured to receive the tourist. It even has a museum:  Museo Integral de la Reserva de Biosphere Laguna Blanca .
Very affordable hostels, US$ 13 for a couple per night. In Brazil there is a lot of bad camping that charges more than that.
After dinner we outlined our ascension strategy. The weather forecast was good for the next 3 days with winds up to 45 km/h and summit temperatures down to -15 ºC. As we had been acclimatizing since 12/23, we chose to go up Alpine style. That is, loading everything at once and setting up an intermediate camp to attempt the summit.

The Nevado Laguna Blanca is outstanding. I would say spectacular! You leave the inn at 3300 meters and at the end of the road everything is as it always was. There is no trail to follow, ie completely preserved.
It goes up easily walking through valleys where you can see more Vicuña, Lagarto, Viscacha, Llama, Donkeys and with luck even a Puma.
Be careful that the plants are prickly, after all you are in a semi-arid region.
There is a lot of water in the valleys up to 4300 meters. Where there is a beautiful and surprising campsite with two shallow lagoons. Maybe on a hotter day it’s possible to bathe in them.
On this first day on 03/27/2022 we walked 8,481 km and there were 1002 meters of accumulated slope.
There is still an option to climb up to 4700 meters to camp in a valley where you can melt water from snow or some penitent. From there to the summit it is long but rewarding for the view of the great valley where the lagoon is.

On 03/28 we preferred to attack from 4300 m, as we were very well acclimatized and the distance versus accumulated altimetry is superior to the attack to the summit of Cerro Plata from Salto d’água.
There were 16,957 km on foot with 1722 meters of accumulated slope.
We got a lot of wind on the summit, above 70 km/h, which made us stay there for a maximum of 4 minutes. Until the hands froze.We return in the late afternoon to the intermediate camp and spend the night there.

On 03/29 we went down to the inn where we left the car. There were 8,461 km on foot with 998 meters of accumulated slope.
Our return to Brazil after the 2021/2022 season, almost 90 days and 11 mountains, was about to begin. We decided to rest the rest of the day in the beautiful Laguna Blanca.
The Nevado Laguna Blanca was an extremely rewarding experience. The best mountain of the 17 summits above 6000 meters that we have done so far. I recommend!

Our tracklog :  https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/nevado-laguna-blanca-6018-m-115272686

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Luciana Moro Guide 9 years ago. Deuter athlete in Brazil. Mountaineer since 2011. Future Physical Educator at UFSM. Second Brazilian woman with the most different Andean summits above 6000 meters: Aconcagua (6962m along the 360º route), Ojos del Salado (6893m), Pissis (6795m), Mercedário (6720m – 2x), San Francisco (6018m – 2x), Fraile ( 6061m), Barrancas Blancas (6119m), Vicuñas (6067m), Peñas Blancas (6037), Ermitaño (6146m) and Nevado Famatina (6115m), Bonete Chico (6759m), Aracar (6095m), Quewar (6140m), Llullallaico (6752m ) – 2x), Antofalla (6440m), Laguna Blanca (6018m). She is the owner of Clube Trekking Santa Maria and Loja Bota na Trilha.

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